Indian Navy Ship Carries Nearly 440 Tonnes Of Relief Material To Myanmar

Bolstering India's efforts to provide succour to quake-hit Myanmar, INS Gharial loaded with relief material weighing nearly 440 tonne, on Tuesday sailed out of Visakhapatnam harbour while a field hospital set up by the Indian Army in Mandalay has been operationalised, offering medical care to the injured.

Indian Naval ships -- INS Satpura and INS Savitri -- which had left for the neighbouring country on Saturday, carrying approximately 40 tonne of relief material had arrived off Yangon on March 31 while INS Karmuk and LCU 52 that sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram on March 30 with nearly 30 tonne of relief material arrived in Yangon on Tuesday, officials said.

Further intensifying the ongoing relief efforts in Myanmar, INS Gharial, loaded with substantial relief material weighing nearly 440 tonne, including rice, edible oil and medicines, sailed out of Visakhapatnam harbour Tuesday morning, a Navy spokesperson said.

India on Monday delivered a fresh tranche of 50 tonnes of relief materials to Myanmar to help people affected by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,000 people and injured 3,900.

The relief materials were taken to the Myanmarese city of Yangon INS Satpura and INS Savitri.

India mounted its relief mission named 'Operation Brahma' as a swift response to the devastation caused by the earthquake that hit Myanmar as well as Thailand on Friday.

On Saturday, New Delhi sent relief materials, rescue teams and medical equipment in five military aircraft to Myanmar to help victims of the earthquake.

As part of the Indian Army's ongoing humanitarian assistance under 'Operation Brahma', the field hospital, comprising 118 personnel, has been "successfully established in Mandalay", officials said.

The hospital unit was deployed in Myanmar using two C-17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF which had taken off from Agra on Saturday.

The unit is now fully operational with a "200-bed capacity, offering surgical and in-patient care," an official said.

"This morning, U Myo Aung, the Chief Minister of Mandalay, visited the facility and reviewed its capabilities," he said.

The field hospital is fully prepared and equipped to provide critical medical care to those in need, reinforcing India's steadfast commitment to humanitarian relief efforts in the region, the official said.

The field hospital in Mandalay has been actively providing medical assistance, having treated 104 patients so far. Surgeons at the facility have also successfully performed two life-saving surgeries, the official said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Myanmar in a post on X on Tuesday said, "Another 30 T of HADR aid, including food, medical supplies & tents, carried by @indiannavy ships INS Karmuk & LCU52, handed over by @AmbAbhayThakur to Yangon CM U Soe Thein today. Indian Field Hospital in Mandalay, visited by CM U Myo Aung, is treating patients. #OperationBrahma".

The embassy also shared a few photographs of the relief work.

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